In the veteran Belfort (24-10), Weidman will contend against a 37-year-old who has beaten Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson following a light-heavyweight loss to champion Jon Jones in 2012. Each of the three bouts after the loss to Jones were in Brazil.

Belfort, who was also memorably knocked out by Silva’s kick to his face in a February 2011 middleweight title fight, participated in UFC 12 in 1997. The Dec. 6 fight is UFC 181.

Belfort failed a performance-enhancing drug test in 2006 in Nevada, and had sought last year to fight again in the state while in the process of testosterone replacement therapy.

The Nevada commission’s then-executive director discouraged Belfort from applying back then, saying fighters under the World Anti-Doping Agency code can’t argue that they’re currently using testosterone to account for reduced levels caused by prior performance-enhancing drug use.

Nevada and the UFC have since that ruled fighters may not participate if they are in a testosterone replacement program.